What was your favorite book you read this summer? We’ll go first. Donna’s been reading ‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu and says ‘This 1980s edition has a forward by James Clavell that I found misogynistic. Otherwise, what took me so long to read this classic?’ For me, it’s ‘My Volcano’ by John Elizabeth Stintzi, a weird and wonderful novel.
I read a lot of Classics: Dracula, East of Eden, Mansfield Park. Ok, well 3, but they were a lot of pages. My favorite book was Trust, by Hernan Diaz and I think it is a book that you and I would intersect at. I read pretty middle of the road and you read more outside my comfort zone. But Trust is kind of unique and I think you might like it. Happy End of Summer!!
It’s a toss up between UNMASK ALICE by Rick Emerson (the wild story behind the woman who wrote those “anonymous” diaries like GO ASK ALICE) and NO MUD, NO LOTUS by Thich Nhat Hanh (a lovely zen take on suffering, at the behest of my therapist). They’re so good and so different and filled me up completely.
I read a ton of non-fiction this summer, and my favorite of all of them was Coffeeland, by Augustine Sedgewick. It traces the history of coffee production in El Salvador and the way trade developed with Europe and the US. It's very far-reaching and he goes on a lot of tangents, but he always brings it back to the main story, which I find very enriching. I can't recommend it enough.
I've been catching up on my Becky Chambers. A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy have made me feel seen like no story has in a very long time; and The Galaxy and the Ground Within adds a lot of depth to the Wayfarers setting without leaving the cozy hopeful vibe I come to her work for.
This is my summer of "tomorrow" books. I absolutely adored Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. Both are simultaneously literary and accessible. They're gorgeously written and pack and emotional wallop.
I've been lucky to have two summers this year, so I've been reading A LOT. Summer in India is during April and May, and then I moved to Amsterdam at the start of August so I got a bonus summer month hehe. I've already waxed poetic about my fav book of the summer — Anxious People by Fredrick Bachman — so I'll pick another book I thoroughly enjoyed: Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Both books are wildly different in genres and messages but they were super immersive and I found myself rooting for the characters quite early on.
I read some fun ones this summer and especially loved Patricia Lockwood’s No One Is Talking About This and Alison Espach’s Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance.
My Volcano sounds right up my alley and I’ve added it to my list!
My fave was "Educated" by Tara Westover. It's been stuck on my "MUST-READ" list for sooo long. I'm so happy that I finally managed to read it. It absolutely blew me away.
I, too, loved Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I am also still thinking hard about the stories of Ted Chiang in his collection The Stories of Your Life -- especially the central one, The Story of Your Life. The construction, the idea, and the writing were revelatory for me. I have never seen the movie based on that story (Arrival) and I am curious about it now. The story though, that will remain special in a class by itself for a long long time.
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou isn't going to work for everyone but I loved it. Satire is hella hard to nail and this can feel too on the nose while being simultaneously being completely on the mark. Yellowface, red-pilling for profit, cultural appropriation, MRAzns, weebs, performative wokeness and minor feelings - it's got it all.
I'm currently reading Queer Ducks (and other animals): the Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer. The author and illustrator have a cheeky, playful voice on the page. It's really a YA book but my library cataloged it in adult non-fiction...probably to avoid challenges. <sigh> Although it's written in this sort of playful way, it's caused me to think much more deeply about how science has been conducted, perceived, and reported by male scientists and how important representation is to every field. It's a quick read but will keep me thinking (and questioning) for a very long time to come.
My faves were Vladimir by Julia May Jonas and Matrix by Lauren Groff!
For a summer read, i.e. something light & fluffy, fast-moving, easily digested, I enjoyed the new Paula Hawkins book A Slow Fire Burning.
My favorite book this summer was Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder. Weirdly real.
I read a lot of Classics: Dracula, East of Eden, Mansfield Park. Ok, well 3, but they were a lot of pages. My favorite book was Trust, by Hernan Diaz and I think it is a book that you and I would intersect at. I read pretty middle of the road and you read more outside my comfort zone. But Trust is kind of unique and I think you might like it. Happy End of Summer!!
It’s a toss up between UNMASK ALICE by Rick Emerson (the wild story behind the woman who wrote those “anonymous” diaries like GO ASK ALICE) and NO MUD, NO LOTUS by Thich Nhat Hanh (a lovely zen take on suffering, at the behest of my therapist). They’re so good and so different and filled me up completely.
I read a ton of non-fiction this summer, and my favorite of all of them was Coffeeland, by Augustine Sedgewick. It traces the history of coffee production in El Salvador and the way trade developed with Europe and the US. It's very far-reaching and he goes on a lot of tangents, but he always brings it back to the main story, which I find very enriching. I can't recommend it enough.
I've been catching up on my Becky Chambers. A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy have made me feel seen like no story has in a very long time; and The Galaxy and the Ground Within adds a lot of depth to the Wayfarers setting without leaving the cozy hopeful vibe I come to her work for.
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee. Also randomly read and enjoyed The King’s General, by DuMaurier, so ridiculously gothic.
This is my summer of "tomorrow" books. I absolutely adored Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. Both are simultaneously literary and accessible. They're gorgeously written and pack and emotional wallop.
I've been lucky to have two summers this year, so I've been reading A LOT. Summer in India is during April and May, and then I moved to Amsterdam at the start of August so I got a bonus summer month hehe. I've already waxed poetic about my fav book of the summer — Anxious People by Fredrick Bachman — so I'll pick another book I thoroughly enjoyed: Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Both books are wildly different in genres and messages but they were super immersive and I found myself rooting for the characters quite early on.
I read some fun ones this summer and especially loved Patricia Lockwood’s No One Is Talking About This and Alison Espach’s Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance.
My Volcano sounds right up my alley and I’ve added it to my list!
I read The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward and hooolyyy shiiii it was a RIDE
I loved reading Violeta by Isabel Allende and Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura.
To Paradise - Hanya Yanagihara
My fave was "Educated" by Tara Westover. It's been stuck on my "MUST-READ" list for sooo long. I'm so happy that I finally managed to read it. It absolutely blew me away.
I'll share my point of view with you once I read it ;)
I, too, loved Zevin’s Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. I am also still thinking hard about the stories of Ted Chiang in his collection The Stories of Your Life -- especially the central one, The Story of Your Life. The construction, the idea, and the writing were revelatory for me. I have never seen the movie based on that story (Arrival) and I am curious about it now. The story though, that will remain special in a class by itself for a long long time.
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou isn't going to work for everyone but I loved it. Satire is hella hard to nail and this can feel too on the nose while being simultaneously being completely on the mark. Yellowface, red-pilling for profit, cultural appropriation, MRAzns, weebs, performative wokeness and minor feelings - it's got it all.
I'm currently reading Queer Ducks (and other animals): the Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer. The author and illustrator have a cheeky, playful voice on the page. It's really a YA book but my library cataloged it in adult non-fiction...probably to avoid challenges. <sigh> Although it's written in this sort of playful way, it's caused me to think much more deeply about how science has been conducted, perceived, and reported by male scientists and how important representation is to every field. It's a quick read but will keep me thinking (and questioning) for a very long time to come.
I'm embarrassed by the low-brow goodness but let's just say I read 3 (THREE!) books this summer - which is more than I read ALL YEAR. So. Happy as!